all natural. a rustic wedding at angrove park – rebecca & tom

Wild and wonderful outdoors setting? Check. Double decker bar? Check. Wedding breakfast with a Teesside twist? Check! Let us introduce you to Rebecca and Tom’s picturesque wedding at Angrove Park, a luxury camping cabin site in North Yorkshire.

It’s so easy to describe a wedding as quirky these days when it deviates from all things traditional, but we promise you that this is something truly unique and unconventional. If you’re planning a rustic wedding of your very own, we think you’ll be borrowing quite a few ideas today!

With playful and whimsical touches galore – the toasted marshmallows, rainbow cake and bales of hay are just a few of our favourites – there is lots to swoon over. We don’t want to spoil it for you though, so we’ll let Rebecca share all the wonderful highlights from last September.

rebecca says: We got engaged at Tom’s nana and granddad’s surprise 70th birthday party at Stockton Rugby Club on 2nd February 2014. It was a total shock to all the family and me but, of course, I said yes! He had only told his brother and my sister, I still can’t believe he did it as we had been together for seven years and have two children together; getting engaged and married was the icing on our cake!

We got married on 10th September 2016. We picked this date as we wanted an outdoor wedding and the weather is usually nice in September, plus it was my mum’s 50th birthday the next day so we thought it would be lovely to all wake up together and carry on the celebrations.

We got married at Christ Church in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, then had our reception at Angrove Park. We wanted a venue that had a very relaxed and chilled-out feel but that was also very different and quirky. I spent hours searching on the internet and came across Angrove Park. We both agreed it looked amazing, so we made an appointment to go and see it – and wow – the minute we got there we both knew it was the perfect venue! It was so peaceful and the views are just amazing. We visited Christ Church and that was beautiful too, and the vicar was so welcoming.

We wanted a unique wedding experience for ourselves and for our guests to enjoy; something bespoke and outdoors so we could feature all things natural, creating a simple and quirky yet very beautiful theme, where less is definitely more. We also wanted just a hint of colour, so we chose white and blush pink.

I decided on a fitted lace dress – White One by Pronovias. As soon as I tried it on, I fell in love with it; the gown fitted with my theme and style perfectly. I added a belt and a cathedral length lace trimmed veil to complete the look.

Tom wore a grey three-piece suit with a pink paisley-print tie from Bakers Tailoring in Middlesbrough.

Our bridesmaids wore a full-length pink dress from ASOS and the groomsmen wore navy three-piece suits, also from Bakers Tailoring in Middlesbrough.

The amazing Daz Mack photographed our day – what a guy! He made us feel so at ease, Tom and I had such a laugh from start to finish. Our pictures were amazing and so natural, which was exactly what we wanted. Our guests still talk about how good he was every time we mention the wedding. He was also a natural with the kids.

For my bouquet, I carried a mix of gypsophila and pink spray roses with greenery. I also wore a gypsophila headband from Sweet William Floral Design in Eaglescliffe.

To decorate the venue, we had a mix of gypsophila balls in tall vases and then spray roses, gypsophila and greenery in smaller vases.

As a finishing touch, the lovely Coco Luminaire provided us with illuminated giant love letters and a neon sign – I would definitely recommend them, too.

Our favours were giant American marshmallows so that our guests could toast them on the night time by the fire pit. They went down a treat, especially with the kids!

We chose a three-tier rainbow cake covered in cream butter icing, topped off with cream roses and gypsophila to match our flowers.

For our food, we chose a Teesside favourite – the chicken parmo, served in a personalised box with garlic sauce from the Dudley Arms, along with bottles of red and white wine which they also supplied. We wanted something totally different to your average wedding breakfast, and the guests thought it was great.

As entertainment we had a DJ and a band called The Phat Tyrtles – they are actually our friends but are amazing; the dance floor was never empty the whole time they were playing. I couldn’t recommend them enough to other couples looking for a band for their special day.

As an extra touch, we had baskets of flip-flops and blankets for our guests in case it got tired feet or cold later in the day. We also hired Angrove Ales (a double decker bus) as our bar – it was fab!

I would definitely recommend Angrove as a venue to other couples that are looking for something different. It’s nice being able to style the venue to your exact taste and make it your own. Kathryn and Louise, who run the place, are amazing and I don’t think I could have done half of it without Kathryn as she was so helpful and always at the end of the phone.

Marrying Tom and being surrounded by all of our families, friends and children was the highlight to the day.

For our honeymoon, we went to Benalmadena in Spain with our two children for 11 days. It was a perfect time for us all to chill out and relax after the wedding.

My top tip for other Brides Up North is simply, enjoy every minute of your day as it goes so fast!

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about the author

Alexis Forsyth
Originally from north of the border, Alexis has lived in the North East for the past 15 years and considers herself officially an adopted Geordie.
A qualified journalist - Alexis took up the position of editor at the region’s longest running business publication in 2015 before moving into a marketing role for one of the UK’s largest independent arts and craft galleries. Alexis currently edits her own lifestyle blog, where you can find her latest musings on all things Newcastle-related, together with a smattering of her Instagram-worthy cocktail and foodie pics.
Yet to find Mr Right herself, Alexis sees this as a mere formality when it comes to tying the knot, as she’s already picked out her dream wedding dress, theme and venue...